Buggy-top support.



No. 675,549. Patented lune 4, I901. E. H. MASON.

BUGGY TOP SUPPORT.

(Application filed Mar. 21, 1901.)

(Nu Model.)

q qhiimeowo 1n: Noam wnzns no. moraumoq WASHINGTON, 0. 6V

UNrrnn STATES PATENT OFFICE.

EVERETT H. MASON, OF OLARKSVILLE, TEXAS, ASSIGNOR, BY MESNE ASSIGNMENTS,OF ONE-HALF TO EDWARD EDWARDS, OF SAME PLACE.

BUGGY-TOP SUPPORT.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 675,549, dated June 4,1901. Application filed March 21, 1901. Serial No. 52,224. (No model.)

To ctZZ 1072,0127, it may concern.-

Be it known that I, EVERETT H. MASON, a citizen of the UnitedStates,residing at Olarksville, in the county of Red River and State ofTexas, have invented a new and useful Buggy Top Support, of which thefollowing is. a specification.

This invention relates to vehicle-top-bow protectors; and one of theobjects thereof is to provide an article of this character that may besecured to the folding top of any vehicle and will protect the bows ofthe same from strain and breakage when in lowered position and will alsoprevent all rattling of and shocks to said to A further object is tomake this construc-.

tion in the simplest form possible, so that it may be applied withoutthe necessity of employing extra bolts, screws, or the like and withoutcutting or disfiguring the top or bows thereof. At the same time thedevice is to be so constructed that it will have abundant resiliency totake up all the jolts and strains between the body and the top.

The preferred embodiment of the invention is clearly shown in theaccompanying drawings and described in the following specification,although it is to be distinctly understood that this construction, asshown and described, is open to change and modification within the scopeof the appended claims.

In the drawings, Figure 1 is a side elevation of a vehicle-top, showingthe bow-protector applied thereto. Fig. 2 is a side elevation of thesame lowered, unnecessary parts being omitted for the purpose of moreclearly illustrating the operation of the invention. Fig. 3 is a detailperspective view, on an enlarged scale, of the protector detached. Fig.at is a front elevation of the same, the position of the bow beingindicated in dotted lines. Fig. 5 is top plan view of the same. Fig. 6is a detail perspective of the securing-loop and the portion of the bowpassing therethrough.

Similar numerals of reference designate corresponding parts in theseveral figures of the drawings.

In carrying out the invention, as shown, the protector comprises an armhaving rigid terminal portions 5 and 6, connected by an intermediateresilient port-ion 7. This arm is preferably formed of a single piece offlat metal oblong in cross-section, the intermediate resilient portionbeing formed by twisting said portion so that its side faces, and consequently its major axis, will be substantially at right angles to theterminal portions, or, in other words, when the arm is in asubstantially horizontal position the side faces of the terminalportions will be vertical, while those of the spring or resilientportions will be horizontal. To further increase the resiliency of theintermediate portion, it is bent longitudinally upon itself to form thereverselydisposed loops 8, constituting a serpentine or S-shaped spring.The two terminal portions 5 and 6 are disposed at an angle to eachother, and the upper one is provided at its outer end with abow-engaging loop 9. This loop is offset from the rigid portion and isintegral, being formed by bending the end to proper form, the extremitypassing over but spaced from the end of the rigid portion proper. Thisforms an entrance-throat 10, that is at an angle to the walls of saidloop, for the purpose hereinafter set forth. The outer end of the lowerrigid portion 5 is provided with an offset portion 11, having apivot-eye 12.

In applying the device the loop is engaged about the rear side bow of avehicle-top, as shown in Figs. 1 and 2. Thisis accomplished, as clearlyindicated in Fig. 6, by arranging the arm at an angle to the bow, sothat said how will pass through the entrance-throat. The arm is thenswung around and is thus securely locked in place upon the bow. The nutof the pivot-bolt 13 is removed and the bolt is passed through the eye12, after which the nut is replaced, whereupon the device will besecured to the vehicle, and the spring portion will be at the rear ofthe bow.

The operation of the device will be obvious. When the top is lowered,the device will be tipped backwardly and will rest upon the pin-support14, which was designed to form a rest for the rear bow of the top. Saidhow will therefore be yieldingly supported, and all shocks, jars, andstrains will be absorbed by the spring. By this construction,

therefore,all the before-mentioned objects are accomplished. The deviceis simple, practicable, and inexpensive and can be applied to any of theordinary and well-known types of folding vehicle-tops.

From the foregoing it is thought that the construction, operation, andmany advantages of the herein-described invention will be apparent tothose skilled in the art without further description, and it will beunderstood that various changes in the size, shape, proportion, andminor details of construction may be resorted to without departing fromthe spirit or sacrificing any of the advantages of the invention.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire tosecure by Letters Patent, is

1. A protector of the class described, comprising an arm oblong incross-section and having rigid terminal portions formed by arranging themajor aXis of the arm in an upright position, and a resilient portioncon: necting said rigid terminals and formed by arranging the major axisof the intermediate portion at substantially right angles to that of theterminals.

2. A protector of the class described, comprising an arm having rigidterminal portions, one of which has a pivot-eye at its outer end, theother being provided at its outer end with a bow-engaging loop, and anintermedi ate resilient substantially S-shaped portion formed by bendingthe same into reverselycurved loops, said resilient portion connectingsaid terminal portions.

3. A protectorof the class described, comprising an arm having rigidterminal por- Lions disposed at an angle to each other, and a serpentineresilient portion formed of reversely-curved loops connecting the innerends of said terminal portions.

4. A protector of the class describedfiormed of a single piece of metaland comprising rigid terminal portions which are adapted to be securedrespectively to the Vehicle and bow of the top thereof, and anintermediate spring portion formed by twisting an intermediate part sothat the faces thereof will be substantially at right angles to thefaces of the terminal portions.

5. A protector of the class described,formed of a single piece of metaland comprising rigid terminal portions, one of which has a pivot; eye,the other being providedwith a bow-engaging loop, and an intermediateserpentine spring portion formed by twisting an intermediate part sothat the faces thereof are substantially at right angles to the rigidterminals and doubling said twisted portion longitudinally upon itself.

6. A protector of the class described, comprising an arm having aresilient portion, means for securing one end of the arm to a vehicle,and a bow-engaging loop located at the opposite end of the arm, saidloop being provided with an entrance-throat disposed at an angle to thewalls thereof.

7. A protector of the class described, comprising an arnrhaving apivot-eye at one end and an intermediate resilient portion, and anintegral loop formed at the opposite end of said arm, said loop havingitsextremity arranged over but spaced from the end of the arm whereby anentrance-throat is formed which is disposed at an angle to the walls ofthe loop.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing as my own I have hereto affixedmy signature in the presence of two witnesses.

EVERETT H. MASON.

Witnesses:

W. P. CORNELIUS, C. Q. SWANN.

